


The Winter Child

by Kuroshima954



Category: Black Widow (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Assassination, Auntie Natasha, Black Widow - Freeform, Brainwashing, Breeding, Breeding Program, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Childhood Trauma, Death, F/M, Fire, Implied/Referenced Torture, KGB, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Brainwashing, Past Relationship(s), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pregnancy, Pregnant Natasha Romanov, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Red Room (Marvel), Soviet Union, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Super Soldier Serum, let's forget endgame too, let's forget infinity war was a thing, winterwidow - Freeform, winterwidow-freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-04-07 08:18:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19081102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuroshima954/pseuds/Kuroshima954
Summary: Natalia Romanov was taken to the Red Room at six. She excels in her work and is the most compliant, making her the favorite. But what will happen when a mysterious new trainer comes and the Red Room begins a new program with Hydra?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So basically, this story is my take on Natasha's days in the Red Room to some point in between Civil War and Infinity War. I'm going mostly on what the movies are with inspirations from other fan fictions. I hope you enjoy it and feedback is greatly appreciated.
> 
> Update: So my friend agreed to becoming my beta reader!!! Changes are coming so be prepared.
> 
> зведа моя – My Star  
> папа – Papa  
> Дядя Иван – Uncle Ivan  
> Девочки – Girls  
> Да мадам – Yes madam

Stalingrad, Russia, 1934  
“папа!” Natalia cried out among the burning blaze that was once her home. “папа!” She cried once again before being muffled by a large strong hand from behind her. She kicked and writhed around before hearing a familiar voice. “Hush little one,” She looked up at the man through tear filled eyes. “Дядя Иван?” He placed her gently down in the snow. “Yes Natalia, it is me.” She jumped into his arms again. “папа is gone, папа is gone,” she wailed. “I know, I know. But there is no time to cry now.” He lovingly wiped the tears from her eyes. “I am taking you to live a place where you will learn many skills and help your country.” She looked up at him confused. “Where is that?” “It’s a big place where you will learn to become a ballerina. There are many other little girls there also.” She began to smile. “It sounds like a lovely place.” She determined with a twinge of excitement in her voice. Ivan looked at her with sad eyes, took her hand, and led her to the place that would change her life forever.

 

 ________________________________

 

Red Room, Soviet Training Facility, Russia, 1940  
“Natalia!” Barked Madame B. “да Madame?” “Explain how your fouettés are so wobbly?” Natalia swallowed hard. “I- I am not sure.” The woman frowned. “See that it doesn’t happen again.” With that Madame B raised her hand, indicating for the girls to start again. They were only 15 minutes in to their hour-long exercise and her toes were already bleeding, the scabs from previous exercises breaking open upon the stress. Natalia and the other 15 girls began to twirl, this time she did not falter. The pain in her feet was excruciating, and she desperately wanted to drop but she knew better than to do so. Last week, Jelena collapsed during their exercises and even after regaining consciousness, refused to get up, claiming that she quit. Her bed was empty that night and had remained so for all this week. All the girls knew that Jelena was not coming back. This motivated Natalia to try even harder. She wished more than anything to not be eliminated- to survive. She managed to make it to the end of the class with no more flaws. After ballet practice, she marched to lunch with the other girls. One boiled egg with kolbasa on toast. Not particularly palatable, but it supplied sustenance.  
  
After lunch the girls went to weaponry lessons. They learned how to fire a gun, switch hands and still hit the target. Today, Natalia came first. She was the youngest of all the girls in the Widow program; all of which had been selected at 7 or 8 except for her. She had been brought to the Red Room at 6, making her the youngest and the smallest. But what she lacked in size or age she made up for in skill. She was fast, agile, flexible and calculating. She had something about her that gave her an edge above all the other girls. Despite the cold hostility from Madame B, all the girls knew Natalia was the favorite. “Excellent work зведа моя!” Ivan exclaimed as he entered the shooting arena. Another man in a lab coat was there with him as well. Madame B gave him a small smile. “Yes, Natalia is preforming well above what we expected.” She moved closer to the man in the lab coat and lowered her voice. “She may be an excellent candidate for the project.” The doctor rubbed his chin in thought and looked through her file on his clipboard. Ivan began to describe her. “From the time she was six years old, she could outrun the girls twice her age. She displays the most effort in all her fighting practices and had the most balance and precision in her weaponry. She is the most compliant when given orders and the most enthusiastic about her work. She spends her free time training or studying her languages.” Natalia paid close attention to the conversation going on at the back of the room. But she never missed any of her shots. Madame B frowned and turned her attention back to the girls. “Alena!” The girl winced at the harsh calling of her name. “Shooting at the shoulder? Your target could use his free hand and shoot you in the heart or head. The Red Room has trained you better than this!” Alena gritted her teeth and replied. “I will try harder Madame.” “Yes, you will.”

  
When weaponry finished, the girls filed out the door but Ivan and the doctor stopped Natalia. “зведа моя, Madame B has told us about your work in the program. It is outstanding!” Ivan proclaimed with glee. “Dr. Volkov has approved you to become the first enhanced Black Widow!” Black Widow? I wanted to be a ballerina. Natalia thought to herself. When she first came to the facility at age six, they gave her ballet lessons, language training, and social studies. About 6 months later, she learned how to throw a knife and hold a gun. 9 months in, the 30 girls she had been with was now 25. She swallowed hard as she thought of a fight between Alisya and Yana. It was brutal and both girls fought bravely. Finally, Alisya kicked Yana off her feet by hooking her arm around her inner thigh. She fell to the mat, and tried to roll away but Alisya pinned her down at the throat and began to choke her. She waited for her to tap out and looked at Madame B for further instructions. “Finish her,” the instructor commanded. Alisya wiped a tear from her eye and tightened her hold around her neck. Yana coughed and wheezed until her once red face and body went limp- life had left her. Tears flowed down Alisya’s cheeks; she had only been 8 years old when she had to kill her friend. Her lip was bloody and she was covered in bruises, but before she went to medical Madame B made an announcement. “девочки, what you have seen today is a mere glimpse of what will happen in the future. You will have to fight and kill to protect your country Russia. At this point you can tell that this is more than a ballet school. It is a training facility to make you the best equipped to protect this nation.” She turned to Alisya and continued. “Yana was going to be removed weeks ago but we decided to keep her for another purpose- to become a teaching illustration. Let this be an example for you all to work harder to become the greatest Black Widows this program will ever have.” “Да мадам!” The girls replied in unison. “You will need to go to medical with Dr. Volkov to begin the procedure,” Ivan continued, drawing Natalia out of her daydream. She drew herself to her full height, looked him in the eye, and replied. “Yes sir.”


	2. The First of Her Kind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Да – Yes  
> Девочки – Girls   
> закончить работу - Finish the job
> 
> Feedback is great so keep it coming!

“Are you ready, Natalia?” She took a deep breath and nodded. It wasn’t like she could say no anyway. “Now it will sting and feel as if your body is on fire,” Dr. Volkov said as he put on his gloves. “It will start through your arm and spread throughout the rest of your body. Now hold still.” She held as still as she possibly could while the two guards put the metal restraints over her wrists, ankles, and thighs. Now she was lying down in a dark, damp room with two guards, Dr. Volkov, and Ivan. Dr. Volkov wiped her arm with an alcohol wipe, and injected the serum. She watched as the blue liquid entered her body and then it hit her. An awful burning sensation that radiated throughout her arm. She bit down on her lip trying desperately not to scream. It spread up to her shoulder and neck and tears began to fall down her face. Finally, it spread to her lungs and abdomen and she began to scream in pain. She writhed about on the table trying to break free from her restraints. It felt like she had soaked in acid and been thrown into a fire. She felt nauseous as the pain began to overtake her and she slipped into nothingness.

She woke up feeling dazed and felt a warm substance dripping down her hand. Groggily, she tried to sit up and look at it but was too disoriented to remain steady. Her wrist had broken through the metal restraints. _Is that even possible?_ She wondered. She attempted once again to lift herself up. She heard a snapping and looked at her legs in wonder. She had broken through the restraints on her thighs as if they were cardboard. A light kick from her legs and the ankle restraints popped off. The left tore a clean cut through her skin. As she leaned down to look at it, she noticed something. As quickly as the blood was dripping out, the skin was healing back. She looked back at her wrist. There was nothing but a faint scar where the gash had been. She rubbed her eyes and looked around the room for Dr. Volkov. The room was dark with nothing but a faint light hanging in the corner. There is also a mirror which she assumed was two-way. There was also a small table next to her with a glass of water and a steel door across from the bed. A few moments later, Dr. Volkov entered followed by Madame B, Ivan, and the two guards. “Natalia, I see you are awake.” Madame B, stated as she walked towards her. The doctor went to the table and peered over his glasses at her. “How do you feel?” Natalia’s voice was scratchy as she answered. “I am very sore and thirsty.” Dr. Volkov scribbled on his clipboard. “That is to be expected. Drink this water slowly and report back to your room for some more rest.”

Years passed. The once 25 girls now were 12. 5 of them experienced an untimely death. Pavla and Sabina were in a fight that led to their demise. Both girls fought bravely and while Sabina won against Pavla, she perished of exhaustion a few minutes later. Mounya tried to run away, and was killed upon her recapture. Kostya and Lana were given the serum but their bodies rejected it. The other eight were removed and were not heard from again. But now, Natalia was no longer allowed to practice against the other girls. Even her fighting instructor Bohdan was not providing her enough challenge. Then one day, Madame B called all the girls into the training room; including Natalia. “Девочки, Bohdan will no longer be training you. He has been… retired.” Across the room, Natalia saw one of the girls shudder. Retired means you either died of natural causes, or you are killed. Since he appeared to be in peak health, she assumed it was the latter. “However,” Madame B continued. “You have a new trainer, thanks to our new alliance with Hydra.” A man stepped onto the mats and looked towards Madame B. “Девочки, meet your new trainer, the Winter Soldier.” Natalia, quickly looked him over for any signs of weakness. He was sturdily built, about 6 feet, and had long dark hair. He was well toned, had some mild stubble, and a metal arm? The girls stared at him; some in wonder, some in admiration, some in pure terror. Madame B whispered something to the soldier and then gave the girls a short nod. “I trust you will not fail.” And with that she turned and exited the training room. The door slammed with a resounding bang, leaving the girls with the new trainer. The noise seemed to jar him out of his thoughts and he turned towards them. “Each of you, step forward and give your name, age, and specialty.” “Starting with... you.” He pointed towards the girl at the front of the line. Natalia noticed her shaking hands as she stepped forward. When she first came to the Red Room, she pitied girls like her. But 9 long years of torture, killing, and general brutality had numbed her to such emotions. “Anastasia Bykov, 17, Observation.” The soldier narrowed his eyes as he dismissed her with a flick of his hand. “Next.”

After all the girls had been called, he called Anastacia forward. “This is going to be a training exercise for me to see where you need improvement.” “Now,” beckoning her forward. “Attack me.” The fight ended quickly with Anastacia having to tap out within 30 seconds. “What did she do wrong?” asked the Asset, leaving a wheezing Anastasia on the ground. Some girls said her punches were weak, other said she didn’t tighten her hold. Natalia merely smirked and said nothing. “Natalia, since you have been so quiet, maybe you can tell us what she did wrong.” The Asset remarked. All the eyes turned to her. “She showed her fear.” Natalia said simply. “Correct. Showing fear is the greatest mistake you can make in a fight. Your enemies will be able to sense it and they will use it against you. Never let your fear control you.” He called Natalia forward. “Now, you will fight me.” Natalia was terrified, but she kept her face blank and emotionless. “Begin.” She swung at his face and he grabbed her wrist almost instantly, twisting it behind her back. She winced but threw herself over him and used her momentum to bring him down. On the mat, she attempted to put him in a headlock, but he rolled away and got back to his feet. He swung at her head and she ducked, exactly as he predicted. He hooked his leg around her neck, and slammed her to the ground. Quickly, he rolled onto the ground and choked her. She tried to flip him over but was unsuccessful. She could feel herself losing oxygen and her vision began to blur. Only when she knew that there was no other way, is when she tapped out. “And that,” the Asset said as he stood up. “Is how to fight your opponents. Now pair up and I want to see you fighting with no fear.” The girls sparred with each other for an hour before he finally dismissed them.

As Natalia sat in her French class, her mind began to wander. Instead of conjugating the verbs like she should have been, her mind was on the new instructor. He had defeated her so quickly but that was to be expected. She had overheard Madame B and Ivan speaking about his relation to the Winter Soldier program; a program for enhanced soldiers by Hydra. He also had a metal arm which gave him an advantage. But there was something about him that was different. His methods weren’t as rigorous as their previous instructor. And while he spoke Russian, he didn’t sound like a native speaker. He had an emptiness in his eyes that she couldn’t quite read and that was disturbing to her. Maybe the more often she trained with him, the more she would understand him. And then she could finally understand what made him so mysterious.

“Again!” He barked. Katya and Nadya looked at him wearily. They were both bruised and had cuts in various locations around their bodies, blood dripping from them. They both dreaded the thought of having to spar for any longer, but no one wanted to end up like Anastasia, who had failed two weeks before. So they began again. During the fighting, the Asset gestured for Natalia to come by him. “Study them closely, if you notice any faults, call them as they fight.” He instructed her. Then he lowered his voice and whispered. “While there are 10 girls now, there will be 9 left by the end of this session. Give guidance to whoever you see fit.” Natalia thought on her history with the girls. Friends were not permitted in the Red Room, but Katya would give her own food to her on days when the rations were reduced. However, Nadya did her best to turn the girls on Natalia, spreading rumours about how she had slept with the guards and Ivan. And while she did not have time to worry herself with such rumours, they did nothing to help her good graces with Madame B. The decision was an easy one. “Katya, Kanojo o hiza no ushiro de keru!” She saw as Nadya growled. Japanese was her weakest language, and being distracted by the fight, had no time to translate. “Hai!” Katya responded and with a swift blow to behind Nadya’s knees, took her down and put her in a headlock. Nadya squirmed and tried to get out, to no avail. Finally, she attempted to tap out. “закончить работу.” Their trainer instructed. Natalia looked at Nadya with a smirk as she closed her eyes and went from a deep shade of red to a cold and lifeless blue. Katya looked equally as satisfied, since she had her fair share of trouble with her. She rose triumphantly, and returned to her spot against the wall. “Excellent job all of you. You are dismissed, except for Natalia.”

“Да?” Natalia asked after all the girls had left. “I have been instructed to give you private lessons. You have been out of practice since you were given the serum but you did not fail altogether” The Asset said as stared at her. Natalia was surprised. This was almost a compliment. Compliments were not to be trusted. It was a way to release information effortlessly. She was far too skillful to fall into its trap. “What of my language lessons?” _Bold move Natalia. Questioning your commander._ He seemed unfazed by her question.“I have been told that you are quite proficient in all of your instructed languages. However, your American accent could use some work, but I will be able to aide in that.” Aide me in an American accent? Is he an American? She decided to test her boundaries again. “When will you be instructing me?” “Today we will practice defense from the ground. Our private training sessions will be in English and I will perfect your accent.” She tilted her head to the side and decided to give one more push on those boundaries. “And what makes you qualified to help me in an American accent?” She asked as stepped onto the mat. He merely looked off into the distance with that same empty look in his eyes. “I don’t know. I think I am an American.”


	3. Distractions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uchenik- Student  
> Fokus - Focus  
> Soldat - Soldier  
> ya proshu proshcheniya - I am sorry
> 
> Sorry it's so short. I thought I should make sure I showed some form of activity on here. So don't worry more and longer chapters are coming!

“An American?” Natalia asked. “What makes you say that?” His voice was low as he replied. “I don’t know. I don’t remember a lot of things.” He turned towards her. You’ve been here for many years so I’m sure you know of the mind wipes.” Her instinct was to shudder, but such expressions were programmed out of her so she simply nodded. “Well sometimes after the wipes, many weeks after, I have snatches or sometimes dreams of my previous life.” He looked at her and suddenly the empty look disappeared. “Why am I telling my _uchenik_ this? We have training to do.” Natalia nodded, set her jaw, and began to practice. 

 

Months passed and the once 12 girls were now down to 6. Everyone was on edge especially knowing that they could be next to go. Graduation was imminent and all the girls worked harder than ever. Natalia had recently turned 16 and graduation was within a year. One day, she was especially worried about it and went into her private training session with a lot on her mind.  “ _Fokus,_ Natalia. You are distracted . ” She ducked and slid, kicking his legs out from under him. “I am not.” He landed on his back and sprung back up kicking her in the throat as he did. She coughed and stumbled backwards. “Yes you are.” He said as he stood up. “You’re lucky you were given the serum or my boot would’ve seriously damaged your throat.” She stood up to her full height. “I told you already  _ soldat  _ I am fine.” She said taking a deep breath. The blow had hurt but she could the swelling going down already. “I do not want to graduate.” He stopped from putting up the mats and turned towards her. She swallowed, but since she had already begun opening up, she might as well finish. She opened her mouth to continue but he cut her off. “And what would your handlers say if they heard that.” He took a step towards her. “All the work thrown away.” Another step. “Serum, private sessions, extra food.” He was one step away and Natalia knew she deserved wh atever was coming next. “ _ ya proshu proshcheniya soldat.  _ What is my punishment?” She looked him dead in the eyes. After what felt like minutes, he finally spoke. “No punishment will be necessary. I will not alert your handler because I will deal with it myself.” “ _ Da soldat. _ ” Natalia lowered her head and braced for whatever beating followed. Instead he took one more step and tilted her head up. It was gentle and tender, unlike anything she had ever experienced at the Red Room. He then brought her face to his and kissed her. With a passion and love unlike anything she had ever experienced. She put one hand in his hair and another on his broad back. His metal and went straight to her behind and the flesh one to her neck. After a few seconds of euphoria, they suddenly broke apart, aware of what had just happened. The Soldier spoke first. “I must finish cleaning the mats. You are dismissed.” With a swift nod, Natalia turned on her heel and headed towards the door. “Oh Natalia,” he called. “There was only training today. A very productive session.” He said, gesturing to the rapidly fading hickeys on her neck. “Yes.” She turned to leave yet again before pausing again. “And did you remember your name Soldier?” He gave a small chuckle before responding. “Yes, they call me Yasha.”


End file.
